Break of Dawn: A Rise of the Dawn Fanfiction
by Mina In Blue
Summary: COMPLETE! Many years after the Reign of Ikeda and Shanza, and new pair of Dawns come to the thrones. Kalli loves her position, but there's one thing about it she can't stand... Rated for language, violence and ff stuff.
1. Phoenix feathers

**This is a _Rise of the Dawn _fanfic. If you don't know what that is, you need to spend more time at FictionPress! The Inkslinger has kindly given me permission to write RotD  
fiction, but I wouldn't suggest reading any of this if you've never read RotD.**

** Disclaimer: The Inkslinger is the mind behind the world. I just copy her brilliance. :laughs:  
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**Break of Dawn: A Rise of the Dawn FanFic**

"And he stood, valiantly, by the side of his fallen master, unsure if his mentor still even breathed! The dragon reared its mighty head, its scales flashing red and silver in the bright sunlight. Ikeda clutched his sword, his full-mail armor shining dangerously as he prepared himself not for defense; oh no, my friends, he was going to attack the ferocious beast. He was going to attack, and he was going to kill it, that fiery demon who had so viscously attacked he greatest friend." Kalli leaned forward, into the tale, brandishing her nails like claws at the children. "The dragon unfurled his wings," she threw open her arms, much to the shock and delight of her four intent listeners, "came in, taunting the brave warrior. But he would not step down! Oh no, my friends. When the dragon swooped down like a hawk for his supper, the gallant Ikeda ran full force, driving his trusty blade through the throat of the gigantic-"

The children had heard this story hundreds of times, and each time they would engross themselves in the telling, watching in delighted horror at the bravery of their hero and the rage of the fiery dragon. The four sat in rapt attention, each with their little mouths wide open. Kalli marveled at their curiosity, a bittersweet feeling brewing in the depths of her. These children had an incredible innocence. Something she had never really had...

"But when our brave hero stepped into the ruined castle, he found that the dreaded she-demon pirate herself had dragged his love across the sea to Cathland! Into the very clutches of his Gifted adversary-"

Three of her charges were boys, triplet Azarians with sandy blonde hair and thick, curious green eyes. The fourth child was a dark girl of what had to be mixed blood. Her black hair spoke of some kind of Methron ancestry, but her accent betrayed she was from Trista. She was rough and tumble; her eyes shown with the same admiration in her mud-brown eyes as the boys. One day, people would be telling such stories about _them_...

Just as Ikeda had come to the aid of his lover in the depths of Cathland, a shout rang over the compound, shattering the world the story had built around them. "Where the _hell _are you, you lazy buggers!" The children's mouths snapped closed, the four of them scattering as if they'd never been. Kalli sighed heavily, brushing her fingers through her platinum curls. They would continue the story when they could. For now, the children had to work.

Pulling her waist-length hair back into a ponytail, Kalli smiled at the small workroom. She'd had the room emptied just for the children. A few handmade toys lay scattered around the room; seven tiny stools, half of them overturned, lay empty, waiting for their masters (or mistress) to return to occupy them again. This room was a safe house for the servant children, and Kalli was glad she had given it up.

'_Making those poor children work so hard all day... It's a wonder they make as much time as they do for me. Phoenix help me, I have a sore spot for kids.' _Kalli brushed her skirts out, shaking dust and dirt from the ends. _'Maellyn will _kill _me if she sees me like this. Perhaps Maellyn will kill me anyway, and get it over with.' _But even Mae wouldn't kill without reason, or so Kalli hoped. _'But she will kill you if you're late again.' _

The afternoon sun drifted lazily through the glass into the hallway. Kalli shut the doors behind her with a _click_. There was a tiny frown on the woman's face as she made her way reluctantly down the hallway. _'The hell with it all; why did I have to end up with an old bitch like Mae anyway?' _For as far back as Kalli could remember, she had dreamed of marrying a brave, gallant warrior, or a powerful prince perhaps. Rich, handsome, and strong, her dream man would whisk her away, off into the setting sun...

But Fate had other plans for Kalli.

Mae was pretty enough in a way, but she wasn't brave or strong or handsome. She wasn't even a _husband_ for Phoenix's sake. _'Think it's funny, do you, Phoenix? Marrying me off to a woman. It's disgusting, that's what it is. She's rather humorless, quiet, and overly logical. Doesn't that woman even want to have any fun?'_

She wandered down the hall, lazily, sighing as the failing light poured in thick, like shimmering peach jelly, drizzling over the marble floors. _'Whoever heard of a female Dawn of the Dragon anyway?' _Kalli fiddled absently with her marriage necklace, trying to shake the feeling of bitterness from her mood. _'Ah, well; the price one pays to be a Dawn I suppose.' _The bell tower chimed the hour, shaking a curse from Kalli's lips. She hitched her robes up around her ankles, tearing away at breakneck speed towards her rooms. _'Damn it all, I'm going to be late! Mae will have my head!'_

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**Ahh, how I'm all about short chapters. This isn't much yet, but I think I have some great ideas. Oh, sorry f/f relationship warning; I guess I should have mentioned that before... Hehe, sorry guys. There'll be more tomorrow, if it rains. If not, I'm going out to the Isle to do a photography project.**

**Much love to Inky! And also love to Walter Dash, for drawing such pretty pretty pictures.  
**

**Mina **_  
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	2. Dinner

Maellyn was glaring at her.

Kalli had merely endured it through most of dinner, even as it drove her mad. Unable to bear anymore, she waited until the Delegate from Methron had turned his attention away, before favoring her wife with a look that could kill.

"But as you know, the border has been declared and mapped out for the past four centuries; it was entirely undebatable." The Methron councilor chuckled into his teacup, but the humor didn't reach his eyes. He was entirely oblivious to the silent war going on between the Dawns.

Mae picked up her own cup, unsmiling, finally turning her scathing eyes away from Kalli. "You do know, Lord Braliin, that those people were not trying to steal your land. There are no border guards out there to tell them when they've overstepped your line. It was merely a misunderstanding."

Braliin held up his hands protectively. "Of course, dear Lady Dragon, I meant no offence. The misunderstanding has been resolved."

The Delegate continued on that vein for sometime, boring the hell out of the Phoenix Dawn. Kalli pushed her food around her plate, absently, wishing she were anywhere but here. _'And look at her; damn that Mae is so... dry! I wonder if there's a personality under there somewhere.' _Soft, blue eyes turned up, watching the Dragon from behind thick lashes. _'Thank the Phoenix she's attractive. It's good she has _something _going for her!'_

Mae certainly was not an eyesore; that was for sure. Her poker-straight brown hair was severely tamed, pulled back in a brutal bun. But Kalli had seen it down, that long waterfall of near-ebony. Her eyes were cold emeralds, bright and deep. There was so much in them Kalli didn't understand...

Green eyes flickered her way, a soft curiosity apparent over the cold. Kalli turned away quickly, a blush creeping across her nose. _'Good Gods, she caught me staring. Great, as if she wasn't mad enough...'_

Kalli suffered through the remainder of dinner in silence, her eyes never leaving her plate. Maellyn continued with idle chatter on the desert's prosperity and the dealings of Methron nobles. Lord Braliin seemed content to speak only with Mae, his eyes never straying to even look at the Phoenix.

After what seemed like hours, Braliin retired, weary after a long day of travel. The Delegate stood, a broad (and obviously fake) grin across his ugly features. He bowed, once to each dawn, before taking his leave.

The two Dawns sat in silence, Mae nibbling absently at her bread.

"Well?"

The Dragon blinked at her wife, no emotion in her emerald eyes. "'Well,' what?"

"Aren't you going to say something?"

"Something?" Mae ripped a small hunk off of her loaf and chewed on it absently. "You mean about you being late for dinner, and staring off into space while I was forced to make polite conversation with that idiot Delegate from Methron? No, I'm not." The Dragon looked tired, toying with her bread like a bored cat with a dead mouse.

"Really?"

"Aye. Yelling at you in the past has done me no good. Now all I can do with you is sit around and wait for you to grow up."

"Grow up!" The Phoenix roared, her anger driving her to her feet. "How _dare _you?"

"How _dare I? _How dare you, idiot Phoenix! The least you could do is _act _as though you had some manners." The Dragon slammed one fist down on the table, the stone room echoing with her rage. There was an excruciating moment of tortured silence, as two sets of eyes, one ice-cold green, the other hauntingly blue and glowing faintly.

Kalli was the first to break eye contact. She flopped back into her seat, grabbing her goblet of wine. "I'm sorry, Mae."

Blinking into the candlelight, Maellyn's lips parted in confusion. "What?"

"I'm sorry, okay! I know I'm irresponsible. It's not that I'm trying to make you angry, really. It's just that... these damned meetings are so... fake."

The Dragon fell into her seat, a humorless smile twisting her beautiful features. _'Damn it all, she's gorgeous. I wonder if she knows how beautiful she is when she smiles?' _Kalli turned away from her, sipping at her wine.

"I know, I know. I'm..." Mae growled at the back of throat, "...s-sorry too." She hissed the words out, hesitantly. Maellyn was even worse at apologizing than her headstrong wife. "But you could at least pretend you want to be here, even if you can't be on time."

The Phoenix just sighed, pushing her plate back and standing again. "Perhaps I could be a little more responsible. You know, play the part of a Dawn more often. I'll try, if _you,_" she pressed one long finger into the soft part of Mae's nose, "try to be a little more fun."

Batting her Phoenix's hand away, Mae looked chagrin and shocked. "I'm plenty fun!"

"Are not," Kalli accused, laughing brilliantly. "You're about as much fun as a history book."

"What's wrong with history books?"

'_Why do we have this conversation? Why can't she just accept that we're different?' _The Dragon just watched her, emerald eyes void of understanding._ 'Why is she such a hard ass?'_

"Oh never mind, Maellyn, never mind. I'll leave you alone." Unable to bear her presence, Kalli pushed her chair back and walked out, her ivory robes fluttering around her body like wings.

'_Damn that woman. Why did I have to end up with someone so dry?' _Taking a deep breath, she sighed into the open air of the hallway. _'It's definitely time for a ride.' _She changed her route to head for the stables, laughing as she stepped out into the cool dark air. Little did she know, there was a quiet pair of emerald eyes, watching from her balcony, curiosity and no understanding in the soft, broken jade.

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**Mmm, poor Mae, she doesn't even know she's boring. Oh, but that will change. :giggles:**

**Oh, so much to dooooooo... No time to write notes...**

**Mina **


	3. Hooves in the Sand

'_Just what did I do to deserve this anyway?' _Kalli wondered, pressing her heels into Marina's sides. The horse snorted, picking up pace towards the beach. Shuttering with excitement, the mare pressed forward, tearing through the moonlight like a shadow. Her silky blue-black coat shimmering faintly with sweat, Marina reached the beach, clomping forward into the surf.

The shadow-black mare whickered softly as Kalli tumbled from the saddle, burying her feet in the wet sand. There was a rush in riding Kalli found nowhere else. The whistling wind through her hair drove all other thoughts from her mind but the speed, the feel of thunderous hooves under her...

Marina whickered again, pressing her nose against the middle of Kalli's back. Laughing a little in reply, the Phoenix turned and took hold of her mare's reigns, leading the shadow-horse forward, through the sand. _'How long has it been?' _She wondered, silently, turning her face towards the moon, her skin a milky-blue in the light. _'I took the Trial of the Gods... almost two years ago now. I've been ruling as a Dawn for almost two years... Amazing.' _She grinned into the night, remembering how foolish she'd been. _'I'd heard the stories of Dawn Dragon Ikeda and his Serpent Shanza, of Dawn Phoenix Skiily and her Lion Milan years later, and how many countless others? They had all been in love, so totally in love. I thought the position guaranteed me that kind of affection.' _She buried her face in her free hand for a moment, losing herself in the past._ 'By the Phoenix, I was so wrong.'_

No one had told Kalli that it could turn out like this...

'_I guess... I guess no one tells tales of the Dawns who didn't get along. I guess we don't make for good stories.' _There were tears in her azure eyes, but what did it matter? There was no one around to see, no one who would even care.

Marina butted her head against the Phoenix's arm, shaking her head. "Do you want to go home, girl?" Kalli ran a shaking hand over the star on Marina's nose. The horse breathed heavily into the fabric of her robes, her hot breath scathing across her stomach. "We can head back if you're cold." Pulling against her reigns, Marina made it quite obvious she'd had enough.

Laughing, Kalli swung into the saddle again. "All right, girl; you want your warm stable? Let's see how fast you can get us there." With a soft kick, they were off, racing the wind. The world faded away into a blur of speed.

And that was just the way Kalli liked it.

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**Really short chapters make me feel like I'm cheating people who read my stuff. But when I finish an idea, I feel like the chapter needs to end.**

**Sorry it's short, but it's just how I operate, I guess. Much love to Inky for reading. I'm glad you like. :smiles:**

**So I was mapping out the rest of this story, and I got some great ideas for where I want to end up with it. Hope that if any fans of RotD are reading this, they're enjoying it. Damn, it's getting late. And I have work tomorrow. :sighs: I'll try to update again tomorrow, but I have class and work. We'll see.**

**Hearts and all that crap,**

**Mina **


	4. Sands of Laughter

'_This meeting has been going on for three hours. It can't go on for much longer.' _There was a fake smile plastered to Kalli's lips as she flirted and chatted. _'I'm going to impress her tonight, maybe crack that dull shell of hers and see what's underneath.' _Kalli had even arrived early, looking every bit the part of the Phoenix. Her hair had been curled and beaded, her dress fitted and flowing, like cloth wings. _'And I look amazing, if I may say so myself.' _Long, white-gold earrings tumbled down from her ears to brush her bare shoulders. Thin, almost desert-style material hung loosely from her body, tightly belted by a black corset. Her look was perfect, both her hair and makeup still untouched.

Everything would be perfect tonight. And Mae would be proud of her.

The Delegate from Methron continued a slow story about his long travels here, both by boat and on land. He'd dragged the story out so long, Kalli was of a mind to haul off and hit the man or at least demand he finish up, when she was saved from doing either.

"Lord Braliin, Delegate of Methron," the Dragon announced formally, her voice cutting his horrible story short, "this evening has been a tremendous pleasure. I look forward to speaking with you again on the morrow about the business that has brought you here. However, it has been quite a day for both the Phoenix and myself."

"Of course, Dawn Dragon. We shall retire as well. Have a good evening, ladies." The greasy Methron bowed out with fake grace, making Kalli want to gag. But she'd made it this far; she couldn't ruin it now...

She left the dining room as Braliin did, in the opposite direction, pulling out her earrings and tearing the beads out of her hair as she went. _'Gods damn these things. Who the hell thought it would be a good idea to dangle things from their bodies like this?' _She slammed the door to her bedroom closed, pulling off her clothes and kicking them into the corner.

"You could at least warn me before you do that, you know." A deep, rich voice called from the other side of her bed. Kalli spun to see Shuryntus seated in one of her chairs, his eyes closed.

Kalli chuckled at him. "Nothing you haven't seen before, you idiot. What are you doing here?"

"I _am _one of your guards, Phoenix. I am _supposed _to be here." He was silent for a moment as Kalli pulled on something a little more comfortable. After scrubbing her face violently with a towel, she turned to attack her hair, pulling beads out and combing the mess with ferocity. "You went out last night without me."

She stopped, mid motion, and set the brush down. Shuryntus was watching her as she turned toward him, his eyes empty of any kind of emotion. His legs were crossed, his arms relaxed at his sides. There was nothing to betray what he was thinking.

But Kalli knew him better.

He was furious.

"Yes, I did go out alone last night. And I plan to go out alone again tonight." The Phoenix turned away again, studying her own expression in the mirror. When had her blue eyes become so hollow?

"Damn you, Phoenix.! How can I protect you if you keep running away?"

"I can protect myself. I don't carry these around with me for show, Ry." Kalli held up one of her many hidden daggers, sheathing it again lighting fast.

"If you would at least tell us where you're going-"

Snorting, Kalli stood up, making her way around the bed to be closer to him. "No, you would follow me, no matter how far I ran."

Shuryntus sighed heavily, brushing his short, strawberry blonde hair out of his eyes. Ry had never looked much like a guard to Kalli, but he'd made a good one. The scar that ran down his right cheek like a tear was from protecting his Phoenix. She loved him like a brother, loved him more than anyone else in the world.

But he could be so damned stubborn sometimes. "Oh, come on, Ry. Don't you trust me at all? I can whistle, call for help, and I can protect myself. Hell, I can even run away. How about this; I won't stray more than... let's say... a five minute walk from the castle if you promise not to have anyone following me." When her guard looked a little weary of her deal, she quickly added: "You can even post guards on horseback right outside the castle, to be ready in case something happens." She gave one of her brilliant smiles, hoping she looked reliable enough to get him to cave.

"Fine, you foolish bird, but if something happens to you, I swear..."

Kalli kissed him on the forehead to silence him. "Nothing will happen to me; I promise. Now, go on. I can't sneak out if you're sitting here watching me."

He actually laughed at that, his broad, sun-darkened shoulders shaking under his black tunic. "As you say, Phoenix. Take care." She didn't miss the worry in his tired black eyes, but she tried to not think about it. For now, all she wanted was to leave.

She began to pull off the rest of her jewelry when there was a quiet knock on the door. Unable to keep herself from laughing, Kalli dropped her Phoenix feather necklace onto her dresser with a clink. "Great good Gods, Ry, you don't have to knock. I haven't left yet!"

"Where are you going?" Kalli jumped. _That _certainly wasn't Ry's voice... She spun, coming face to face with a wide pair of stormy, emerald eyes.

"Oh, Maellyn... you startled me. I..." In one single confused moment, green eyes met the Phoenix's shimmering azure, and there was a pregnant silence between them. Kalli was the first to look away. _'She... Mae, she's never been in my room before.' _She silently thought Mae looked horribly out of place in her colorful room, dressed as she was in dull grays.

"I'm sorry, Kalli; should I not be here?"

Kalli looked up at her in shock; she was being nice? "You _are _my wife, Mae."

"Right." The silence between them lengthened, each straining for something to fill it.

"Why did you come here?"

The Dragon looked off balance. "Ah, yes, I forgot. I came to thank you. I know how hard it was for you, to sit through the meeting."

Kalli lifted her gaze back to Mae's, a quiet smile brushing her lips. "I did good?"

"You did fine."

"You know what that means, don't you?"

"W-wait, K-Kalli..." The Dragon stuttered violently as Kalli descended upon her, releasing an undignified squeak as she took a firm hold of her hand. "Wha-"

"Come on! I was more controlled, and now you have to be a little more fun."

"Fun? Kalli, please, wait... you can't..."

But she had. Kalli pulled her wife over to the window, throwing it open to the cool evening. She climbed out, and hung from the sill with practiced skill. "What in hell, you can't climb out like that!"

"Of course I can. There's dirt down there; if I fall, I shouldn't more than break something." Kalli let go of the sill with one hand and grabbed hold of the front of Mae's dress, dragging the unwilling Dawn down with her.

"We're going out without guards?" Mae whispered urgently, clinging to the sill as her legs swung over. She looked horrified at her position, trying not to look down.

The Phoenix laughed into the moonlit night. "I wouldn't be sneaking out of the window if I _wanted _Ry to follow me. That's the whole point."

"You do this often?" She was quaking, inching along the sill after her errant wife.

"All the time." Skillfully, she swung over to the trellis, grabbing hold of one of the diamond-shaped holes and beginning her slow descent. "Come on, Maellyn; if you're too slow, they'll catch us. That'll ruin the game!"

When Kalli's feet hit the ground, she looked up. Mae had managed to get onto the trellis, and was inching her way down. But the Phoenix quickly looked away, a blush painting her cheeks. _'Phoenix, I know she's my wife and, but I really shouldn't be looking up her skirts.' _

"Damn it all..." The short curse was all the warning she got. Kalli glanced up, to see her wife falling down towards her. When she hit, both Dawns tumbled into the dirt. "Curse these damned skirts... Did I hurt you, Kalli?"

Kalli laughed in answer, picking herself up out of the dirt. "Of course not. You know, for a Dragon, you don't weight very much."

Grumbling in reply, Mae took her outstretched hand and pulled herself up. "Whatever you say. Let's go before they catch us." Kalli kept hold of the Dragon's hand, and dragged her forward, sneaking through the bushes and shadows, making quick progress towards the beach. Mae kept up and kept silent, a look of soft worry in her pretty features.

The running became a little harder as they hit the sands, but Kalli continued in her ground-eating pace. Mae's breath came in shuttering gasps now, but it wasn't very much further...

With a loud laugh, finally feeling free of the cage of a castle, the Phoenix spread her arms to the ocean breeze, flopping into the sand. Here she was free. Gods, really and truly free...

Mae was looking down at her, a strange expression across her lips. Was she frowning? "You look ridiculous. Aren't you getting sand down your dress, doing that?"

Scowling at her Dragon, Kalli sat up. "Maybe, but it _is _fun. It's freeing. You should try it sometime; just forget everything you know a take a little risk, you know?"

"Risk?"

"Yeah." Kalli pulled her down into the sand beside her; Mae fell with a yelp. "There's no one out here to guard us, not one single person to keep us from doing whatever we like. Our lives are very structured, very proper. Don't you ever want to get away from it all?"

The Dragon looked thoughtful, her emerald eyes black in the moonlight. "Well, yes, I suppose."

"Good." Pulling herself to her feet, the Phoenix winked at her partner, offering one sand-covered hand to her. "Let's go for a swim."

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**:giggles: Mae is so cute. I have a feeling she's going to become my favorite character real quick. She's a little bit of a hard ass, but she's still great fun to write about.**

**Mmm, let's see. I have final exams this week for school, and I have to work too, so updates will come when they come. I can't promise anything.**

**Anyway, loves to everyone!**

**Mina **


	5. The Storyteller

The bonfire burned through the shadows of the night, shimmering faintly off of the undulating ocean. The sand was cool, dry, and a faint orange in the low light. Kalli held up her hands, barring her nails and hissing violently. "...and the foul creature leapt, taking a mighty swing at Dawn Lion Milan's unprotected shoulder with its ferocious claws..."

Mae looked transfixed, as if she'd never heard the story before. Devoting her entire self into the telling, Kalli took a swing with her stick, imitating the death blow the injured Milan gave the blood-thirsty monster.

The Dawn Dragon clapped as the story came to an end, delight in the contours of her face. She looked angelic in the firelight, her eyes dark in the firelight. Kalli bowed, her hair still dripping wet from her dive into the ocean.

"I never knew you were a storyteller, Kalli." Mae half-smiled at her, pushing her own drying hair back behind her ear.

'_She only ever half-smiles,' _Kalli thought, a sigh escaping her lips as she collapsed onto the sand. _'One day, I'll change that. I'll make her happy, someday. So happy I'll see a _real_ smile, see happiness glowing from every pore on her body.' _

"So this is what you do, when you're alone? Swim in the ocean at night? Take walks on the beach?"

The Phoenix nodded. "I don't like being caged in or followed. It does get a little lonely sometimes, but its better than staying locked up in my room alone." Dropping down into the sand, she turned her head back to look at the stars. They shimmered faintly in the midnight sky, looking like distant jewels, glowing in the wild cast of their fire. The world had fallen away, down to the two of them on the quiet beach. The surf seemed to roll in just for them, its soothing sounds brushing the edge of their conscious. It was so beautiful, Kalli never wanted it to end...

"We should be heading back, don't you think? We have several meetings tomorrow, and I, for one, am exhausted." The dream-like quality that had built up around the evening shattered at those words. The whole world came crashing back to her, and Kalli hated it. She didn't know it, but her features suddenly twisted in a scowl of disgust.

"Sure."

The Dragon blinked her wife stood to put out the fire. "Kalli? Did I say something wrong?"

Kalli went about putting the fire out, trying not explode in anger. _'Gods damn her. We've been having such a wonderful time, and she had to ruin it. Damn meetings. I never want to sit through another one of those again.'_

"Kalli? Wait! Come on; what's wrong?" The Dragon followed her, a pleading look in her shadow eyes. Kalli made sure the fire was smothered, and covered in the cold, evening sand.

She tried to smile at her, tried to make it seem as if she were okay. "It's alright... I just... I had fun."

"What is your problem? If you wanted to stay we could have." The Dragon grabbed a hold of her hand as the Phoenix tried to walk away.

She shook her hand off. "Nothing's wrong! All right? Let's go." It came out a little more sarcastic, a little more biting than Kalli had intended. She watched as the Dragon's face flared up in anger.

"Damn you, Kalli! I'm sorry, okay! You _know_ we have a lot to do tomorrow."

"Is that all you care about? Work? What in the Phoenix's name is wrong with you? We were... and I thought..." Stomping in childish anger, Kalli turned around and walked away. She knew Mae was following her; even through her rage she knew Maellyn wouldn't be able to find her way back alone. The palace was practically invisible in the night, and the moon had set hours ago. So she seethed silently, not turning back to see if her wife was following.

'_Damn you, you heartless bitch.' _They separated as they entered the front gates of the palace, Mae heading to her rooms on the other side of the building. _'Damn you. I thought I'd had her. Thought maybe things would be different tonight. Why do I have to married to an ice cube?'_

Kalli ran all the way back to her room, bathing and dressing for bed, her anger slowly, slowly fading away, leaving lonely exhaustion in its wake. She collapsed into her bed, giving herself over to tears as night watch cried midnight into the darkness.

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**:sighs: Yeah, that's why they don't get along. They're pathetic aren't they? Mmm, but they're very much fun to write about. It's really hard to make them argue, cause I've never gotten in a fight with anyone but my family members (and those are always ridiculous, like "Gimme the TV remote!" "No way in hell!" or something similar). So I had to drawl on other people's fights I was present for or heared about. This one is a bit like the fights a good friend of mine has with the guy she lives with.**

**But other than that, I only have one more exam, and that's not until Monday night of next week, so I should have plenty of time to write and play _Prince of Persia: Sands of Time_, which I hope to beat soon. Cause I think I may be getting the second one, _Prince of Persia: Warrior Within_, for my birthday in a couple of weeks.**

**I'll be 20::cries: No more teenager years. This sucks, everyone's getting older and moving away or getting married or both. And I'm still stuck here trying to pay my car off. :sighs: But I'll stop rambling on about my life now.**

**Mmm, if you haven't read the book _The Muse Asylum_, it's really really good. I give it three thumbs up. ROFL.**

**Mina **


	6. Marble Wings and Formalities

'_I guess it's useless; we're just too different.' _Kalli watched as the Dragon sat in her throne, swathed in vibrant violets and blues. The statue standing behind her chair gazed upon her audience with strange, jeweled eyes. One giant wing wrapped almost lovingly around the back of her throne, those long, carved talons sank into the chair arm. The statue seemed to be watching her, its scaled neck curled, the expression on its beautiful face haunting. _'I guess... things will just go on as they have. Her over there in her world, and me in mine.'_

The veined white marble wings of her own chair spread out around her. The bejeweled wings of her Phoenix caught some unfelt breeze, each feather carved with care. The detailing amazed Kalli, and she found her eyes ranging over the statue. The Phoenix stared down at her, the gilded beak cracked open, as if it were calling out to the winds. Its top feathers tumbled down its graceful neck, swirling over each other in a long line of something metallic and a very pale yellow. The Lion and Serpent's chairs remained empty, and shadows seemed to settle around the seats. The statues seemed very cold, and distant, as if dead until discovered by their rightful owners. Empty, cold stone eyes seemed to be watching nothing, as if both the Lion and Serpent were lost in the dreams or the thoughts of the dead.

The Delegate from Methron continued his speech, calling upon the power of the Gods and Dawns to settle a dispute. _'And once again, the stories prove false. No one ever mentioned Dawn Dragon Ikeda sitting through a meeting. No one ever said anything about Lion Milan filing paperwork. And certainly no one even hinted at Dawn Phoenix Raenshia settling domestic disputes for anyone! Much less ungrateful, unbelieving peasants from the desert. Being a Dawn is no fun at all.'_

Kalli felt as if her dreams had shattered to pieces as she half-listened to the man continue his over-long and horribly formal protest to the unfair application of certain Dawn-made laws. Kalli's eyes wandered, ultimately setting on the Dragon. Mae looked amazing, her hair wound up in intricate beads and braids, her curls only half tamed. Green paint fanned out from her eyes, matching the wild emerald of her irises. Her long nails were jeweled, and shimmered faintly in the low lighting. Maellyn looked like an Amazon Queen, her wild dragon guarding over her with immaculate arrogance.

Lord Braliin finished his speech with a flourish, bowing to both Dawns. He left then, to pack, his point heard. It would verified by the Dawn's people, and taken care of, one way or another.

Kalli looked down at her ivory gown as the throne room emptied of everyone, except the Dawns and their guards. She glanced up, to see the Dragon staring at her with a disquieting expression in her eyes.

Hitching her dress up, the Phoenix stepped down from her immense platform, stepping into the marbled center of the throne room. "Do you want something, Dragon?"

Mae's expression turned from one of curiosity to complete stoicism in the blink of an eye, changing her whole demeanor. She looked as strange and imposing as her throne Dragon, as they both stared at the Phoenix with emotionless jewel-toned eyes.

"No, Dawn Kalli. I was merely staring, because you looked a little pale."

The formality in her wife's voice stung. Unable to bear the growing distance between them, Kalli picked up her skirts in quivering hands and tore from the throne room with a reckless speed. She heard Ry's cry of surprise behind her, but she ignored it, running into the sunset with tears raging down her cheeks. _'Damn you, Mae; why did you have to be so heartless?' _Kalli ran all the way to the beach, her sandals digging into the sand. She ran until the surf brushed her legs, chilling her and banishing the heat of her anger.

The salt water drank in the fabric of her dress, discoloring the careful ivory color of the cloth. A tiny rip in the skirt had grown, and Kalli knew the dress was ruined. Uncaring, Kalli pushed away from the shoreline, sighing as the chilly waves embraced her. The icy arms of the water washed over her, holding her in an ever-moving, sandy hold. She was content to be cold, content to shiver in the rolling roar of the waves.

Time passed slowly, as the sun turned in, falling asleep in a blanket of midnight-blue. Kalli watched as the colors of day drained away, leaving a blue-black shell. Where everything was colorless, everything was bland.

It felt, then, as if the sun would never rise again.

* * *

**I tried to keep to Inky's description of the throne room as close as I could. There were a few not-so-obvious (but changed for good reason) details that were different. The Dragon Statue is looking at the Phoenix, and the Phoenix is looking down at itself. That's kind of symbolistic, but not really obvious. Umm, but other than that, I think I got the look of it pretty much the same. I even drew a little map to make sure I had the statues in the correct placement around the room. I hope I did it right...**

**Anyway, thanks for reading.**

**Mina **


	7. Dreams of the Past

Turning, Kalli rolled onto her side, trying to find a comfortable position. She lay in stillness for a moment, then turned again. _'I guess it's useless,'_ Kalli shifted, twisting so she could face the ceiling. She draped one hand over her face, hiding the sleeping body in bed next to her from sight. _'I can't sleep, I can't get her out of my head.' _No amount of drink, of distractions, of lovers would change that. Kalli knew it, even as she continued to try.

Dawn spilled over the edge of her vision, the first silvery-peach rays reaching desperately over the horizon, shining through the thick glass. A soft wind tumbled in from the balcony, bringing with it the smell of salt water and leaves.

Nightmares of her past had plagued her dreams, waking her from sleep, hours before. She'd spent hours, tossing and turning, trying to empty her mind of her past, her present, and the horrible knowledge of her future. It seemed it would be filled with arguments, pain, and lovers that couldn't fill in for something she was missing...

'_What is it about Mae that drives me insane?' _Kalli stood, throwing off the covers and wrapping her naked body in a robe. _'No, I don't want to think about Mae... but if I don't think about her...' _Mae's painfully beautiful features were run over by thoughts of her dreams, even as she fought to hold them back...

_Screaming... she was screaming. Not in fright, or horror, but in anger. His voice thundered even louder than the screaming, his words stinging like pinpricks. She would never live like this... Never BE like them... Never feel this again... There was a shimmer of something silver: a knife. He had pulled a knife on her, even as she begged... "Never again..."_

Kalli shook off the memory, moving around to distract herself. The cold, hard floor was painful and welcome at the same time. She turned to look out of the window, wishing she was alone. But she knew even if she woke the man sleeping in her bed, Ry would still be on the other side of door. The walls seemed to be closing in around her, and she was powerless to stop it.

'_I have to get out.' _Kalli threw on a dress, slipped on a pair of shoes and left, slipping out the window and into the dawn light. Her claustrophobia dissipated as the smell of the rising day bombarded her senses. She slid down the trellis out of her window and ran.

And she didn't care at all where she was running to.

* * *

**And it's not just Mae... Kalli's kind of selfish. She irks me. :eye twitch: Anyway...**

**I'm so glad you're enjoying this, Inky. I worked really hard to get the Throne Room as perfect as possible. :grins wildly: This is so much fun! It's a lot of pressure. It's kindof like... writing an essay about someone else's work while they're reading over your shoulder! It makes it more exciting; it certainly makes me THINK before I write. I pay much more attention to detail. And not to mention all the time I spend rereading _Rise of the Dawn_ for information.**

**Oh well, this is going well. I have books on Egypt and the Nile all over my bed and my floor, right next to the massive collection of art history books and the smaller collection of books on Roman and Greek gods, myths and lifestyles. Ahh, my many research projects. The Art History and Egypt books are for _Second Landing, _the Roman books are for _Clockwork Sky. _It's very enjoyable. Oh, and I'm also reading a book on sexual reassignment failures. Which, after that human sexuality class this semester, is very very interesting.**

**And as to the question of my birthday: I turn 20 on June 5th, 2005. So you guys gotta send me e-cards and stuff. :ROFL: Anyway, thanks for reading.**

**Mina **


	8. Shuryntus

Shuryntus just frowned at her, as Kalli pulled off a pair of long stockings. She stumbled and cursed her clumsiness as she tried to pull off her clothing, her jewelry, and her makeup, all at the same time.

"This stuff drives me insane! I can't stand it another minute." With her hands over her hips, the Phoenix tumbled over to her guard. "Aren't you going to help?"

Her guard looked up at her with a look of distain. "I'm not your servant, Kalli. I'm your _guard_. Just because you won't allow me to do my job doesn't mean you can come up with other things for me to do. And I _refuse _to help undress you. Raenel would kill me, first of all, and second, it's really funny to watch you trying on your own." He chuckled dryly, leaning back in his chair.

Kalli frowned at the name; Raenel was Mae's second guard, a horribly sensible woman, if you asked Kalli. _'What the hell does Ry see in the witch anyway?' _"Damn that Raenel; she's so fucking jealous. It's not like I want to sleep with _you_, anyway."

"She doesn't know that. Besides, you slept with everyone else in the castle." The guard's tone was condescending, but playful. He was making fun of her.

There was an annoying bit of truth to Ry's logic that was irking Kalli. Her eyebrow twitched in anger. "I haven't slept with _everyone, _Ry." She pulled out her earrings, throwing them onto the dresser. "And don't be so callous; you're starting to sound like Mae."

She hadn't meant to be so cold when she said it. Kalli looked forward into the mirror, hoping Ry hadn't noticed. _'Gods, I look like hell. He knows I haven't been sleeping, haven't been eating. That I've been running off in the middle of the morning, to be alone.' _Studying her reflection, the Phoenix could see the emptiness of her eyes and the dark rings underneath. The lack of sleep had ravaged the healthy glow of her skin and peeled what little fat there was from her face, leaving her cheeks sunken, her eyebrows heavy over her tired eyes. _'Under all the makeup, I look like hell.'_

"Is that what this is all about?" Heavy hands settled on Kalli's shoulders. "Is all this about the Dragon?"

Suddenly, Kalli was crying, the tears raging down her cheeks like angry rain. She tried to turn away, to hide her pain from him. But Ry pulled her back, into his arms. His shoulder was solid and strong as she bawled into him, all the anger and pain of the past few weeks drowning and melting away.

Still sniffling, Kalli clung to her guard, wiping her eyes on a handkerchief Shuryntus. "Damn it, Ry, my own wife... she _hates_ me. Oh, Phoenix, why does she have to hate me?"

"Gods, Kalli. You really think that of her?"

The Phoenix's voice was muffled as she clung to his shoulder. "I _know _it's true."

Ry dragged her backwards, forcing her down onto the bed. She sat with a bit of reluctance, looking up at him with nothing but trust in her eyes. "Phoenix, you really need to sleep. I'm going to go get the healer to mix you up something so you can rest." He touched the side of her face, gently, kissing her forehead like a brother comforting his heartbroken sister. It was wonderful, that feeling of _family _between them...

"Please, Kalli, don't leave. Please, stay where you are. I'll be right back for you, I promise."

And he was gone. The only warmth in her room faded away, leaving it dark and empty. _'Oh Gods, I feel empty, so horribly empty. This room is so stifling...' _Kalli pressed her hands to her face, trying to ignore the crushing claustrophobia. Her head throbbed under the weight of her crying, her eyes burning and blurred._ 'I'm sorry, Phoenix, for whatever I did to deserve this... Please forgive me sins; I can't stand this anymore.' _She stood, pulling on a long robe and buttoning it securely over her white robes. _'I'm sorry, Ry, I have to get out of here...' _Tears brimming in her eyes, Kalli crawled out of her window, sobbing silently into the night.

* * *

**More on Raenel, Colin (Mae's other guard), and Shayn (Kalli's other guard) later. They'll be relavent later, I think.**

**Okay, it's sleep time; what a weekend. I'm always so tired...**

**Mina **


	9. Interruption of Normally Schedualed Prog

"And you let her get away, just like that?"

Shuryntus winced under the Dragon's almost tangible anger. Her hair flamed around in a wild mess, making her look unstable and crazed.

"Well," Raenel pulled a thin strand of blonde hair from the loose ponytail at the nape of her neck, twirling it absently around a long finger, "perhaps it's better this way. She is a foolish woman. Let her go missing."

"Don't say such things, Raenel. She may be a little strange, but she is still the Phoenix. It is my job to guard her…"

"And what a wonderful job you've done, Shuryntus." Mae growled, her hands curling into claws. "She is not in any of her normal hiding places; when the _hell _could she be?" The Dragon slammed her fist into the table. The knuckles on her right hand began to bleed furiously, but she paid no heed. "We have to find her. What did she say to you, before she left?"

Ry took a deep breath. "She was upset; I knew she had not been eating or sleeping for several days. The last I saw of her she was crying, telling me her own wife despised her and she couldn't stand it any longer." The guard was careful not to look in Maellyn's eyes.

There was silence for a moment. It was so complete and uncomfortable, it thundered in Ry's ears worse than the Dragon's seething rage.

"She thinks that of me?" Her voice was small, tired, and blurred with something like pain.

"Yes, Dragon."

There were tears glimmering in the emerald of the Dragon's eyes; her rage had faded into nothingness. Ry was shocked, his lips parting in soft surprise. Even Raenel looked dazed, something dark and startled in her pretty face. "If something happens to her, it will be all my fault." Her fists crashed into the desk, some of the dark wood splintering from the beating. "I'm going after her." Maellyn threw herself into the closet, pulling out clothes for travel.

Mae was pulling on the boots before Raenel got over her shock enough to join her. Colin, who had been huddling by the door, as far from the Dragon's anger as he could manage, stepped forward to stand next to Ry.

Colin's voice was low and grated, scratching from his throat. "She won't let us come with her, not matter what Raenel says."

Ry nodded in response. "That's just what we need is two missing Dawns."

* * *

**Long time no see. Yeah, I know. I haven't done much writing at all the the past few weeks; work has been crazy, and I'm going ot summer school, and when I get home, I'm usually so tired, I throw myself into bed with an Anita Blake novel. I bought a whole bunch of Luis Royo art books too, and I've been drooling over those. Anyway, this is a short chapter, the only one not in Kalli's POV. There's a reason for that, I guess. It was short cause I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. It had been awhile since I'd written anything, so I sat down and forced myself to write.**

**The first thing I wrote was this very strange Anita Blake fanfic, and it was really badly written and just well... really bad. But it got me in the mood to write. So I wrote another shorter story about cats. So when I felt like I'd written enough where everything didn't suck again, I let myself start a new chapter in both _Break _and _My Sinful Blue_. Which is nice. I have Chapter 10 of this story half done, and Chapter four of Cerulean and me about half done too. Look for more updates! Once I have some more energy, I'll finish _Gate to the Second Landing. _Thanks for being patient with me; I know I'm a pain in the ass. Much love to Inky, and to AlariaoftheDragons. Much love all around.**

**Hopefully I'll bb soon. Hearts and all that crap,**

**Mina **


	10. Waves and Confessions

The sand was rough and salty, digging into the soft skin of Kalli's cheek. Her face felt raw as she sat up, brushing at the sand crystals that clung to her face. The ocean sighed and shivered in the sunlight as Kalli watched from her cave mouth.

'_I must have… fallen asleep here.' _The Phoenix worried her cheek, her thoughts jumbled from sleep. _'I was… upset last night, but… I still shouldn't have left. Not like that. Not when Ry asked me to stay. I should have… oh, Mae will be so angry with me…'_

She blinked into the morning light, her eyes dark and sleep-bitten. The wind pulled a thin, threadbare blanket of clouds across the sky, leaving only patches of blue. Kalli watched them lazily, pulling at the tangles in her hair. Relative calm had returned, the emotion turmoil from the night before leaving her drained and empty in the soft light.

So her wife hated her. She didn't _need_ Mae. She didn't _need_ anyone. The pain remained, but it had faded to a dull ache in her chest.

Blue green water danced through the sand, spilling sparkles into the brown. The freedom and the smell of salt air was intoxicating, and Kalli's good spirit returned. She could work around the ache. Kalli was a Dawn; she didn't _need anyone_.

Her legs were a little shaky as she stood, brushing sand and sleep from her skirts. The day was beautiful and the Phoenix was alive; what more did she need?

The sand squished pleasantly through her toes, spilling gently over the tops of her feet. It was marvelously cool. The wind pulled at her hair, still half pinned up from the night before and riddled with sand. Her gold feather dangled from her neck, dipping low into the ruined gown. It looked rather dirty and romantic, the cloth salt stained and torn. One sleeve was torn and hung low enough that her daggers were shining in the speckled sunlight.

Kalli howled into the crashing waters, her crowing almost lost in the wild sound of the wind and waves; _this_ was freedom. There was a moment of breathless calm, and Kalli spread her arms to the salty air, her sleeves fluttering like feathers.

"So, this is what you want, then?" Kalli spun on her heel, almost falling in the dense sand. Her wife settled daintily on a fallen log by the mouth of Kalli's cave. The Phoenix felt her mouth fall open in surprise. What the hell was she doing here?

Mae looked tired, dark circles around her eyes. She looked weighed down and sulking, too exhausted to be angry, too heavy to stay standing. She rested there in a cloud of a shirt; it billowed white and loose around her shoulders. Those beautiful black curls were severely pinned to her head in a plain bun, leaving her pretty face unadorned and pale. Her eyes glinted like emeralds under the thin line of her eyebrows.

"I should have known better than to try to keep you inside. You were never meant for the boring side of ruling the world." Mae settled her chin into her elbow, watching her wife without emotion. "What is it you want to do? I can more than make up for your presence here."

Kalli blinked at her, her mind slick and blank. "Maellyn? Do you not want me to stay here?"

"That's not what I meant, Kalli. You always misunderstand me." The Dragon sighed heavily, her eyes wondering to the sight of the open water. "You are unhappy here, with me."

"Not true."

There was shock in the quick glance to Kalli. "Then why do you run away from me, Kalli?"

The Phoenix paced, her anger from the night before returning in waves. "I'm not running away from _you_! I'm running away from this damned job. I hate it. I hate the paperwork, the meetings, the diplomacy. It has _nothing_ to do with _you_."

"Would you like to leave here? If only for a while? Tour the country, meet people?"

"No."

"Then tell me what it is that you want."

There were tears in Kalli's eyes, tears that tainted her voice. "I don't want to leave! Phoenix's tail feathers, don't you understand anything?" She stomped in the sand under the icy-green stare of Maellyn. "I _love _you, damn it!"

Kalli covered her mouth, feeling the salty sting of sand across her tongue. Mae's cold eyes shifted, brimming with sudden, almost horrified astonishment. "_What _did you just say?"

Kalli mumbled something, turning away from the feral stare of the Dragon. Where on earth had that come from? _'Oh great good Gods, you've done it now Kalli. You'll be lucky if Mae ever speaks to you again. She's probably furious. Or doesn't believe you. What did you have to go and say it like that for? In the middle of a fight, no less.'_

Mae's shout was Kalli's only warning; she spun, ducking, just in time to see something hard and fast flying toward her face. A sharp pain and she knew she was bleeding. Her vision blacked, shivered, and the whole world fell away, spilling into an ebony darker than black.

* * *

**Mwhahah, oh yes, this should be good. Now that I have a pretty good idea of where this is going, where this is ending, and now that I'm at home and not in a hotel room, everything should be coming together better now. Yay. Heading off to do my Psyc homework... buh bai.**

**:mina: **


	11. Chains and a Kiss

A dream: She was riding the wind, the air filtering through her feathers. She knew she was falling, couldn't stay aloft. Her body crashed into the ground, and the pain shook her awake.

Kalli blinked one, twice. It was dark, cold. Her wings… no, her arms hurt, her pulse thundering through them like burning. There was still blood on the side of her face; it was dry and itched faintly. The floor under her was wood, cool and coated, wet to the touch. Something wet slid against the other side of the wall, crashing and wild.

'_Boat. We're in a boat.' _The floor felt like it was shifting under her body, rolling gently with the waves. She wiggled her fingers, then her toes, experimentally, just to see if she could. _'Phoenix, my head hurts.' _She lifted her hand and placed it over her eyes, massaging her temples. _'What the hell happened?' _

The day on the beach came back to her in a jolt. _'Someone hit me. Someone… Oh, Phoenix. I told Mae…' _Tears stun at her eyes as she tried to sit up. _'Where is Mae?' _Panic gripped her chest, making it hard to breath. What did they do with Maellyn?

Kalli could barley make out the form of the Dragon. She lay in a puddle across the tiny room, chained to the floor at the wrists and ankles. In the dim lighting, Kalli could hardly see her, much less tell if she was still breathing. _'Great good Gods, please let her be alive.' _Kalli started to crawl to her wife on all fours, but was held back by her own set of chains. They rattled against her ankles. _'They didn't chain my hands… maybe… just maybe…' _She reached up and ran her fingers through her hair. It was still drenched in sand and half pinned to her skull. Pulling one of the long pins from her curls, Kalli set about trying to pick the lock. _'Odd, I bet no one knows one of their Dawns can pick locks. Perhaps _some_ of my past is useful.' _The locks fell to the floor, giving her full range of motion. Kalli crawled as fast as her aching body would allow, dragging herself over to her wife. Mae lay, one arm over her face; the chains attached to her wrists were long, giving the woman limited freedom. The Phoenix moved the arm and touched her fingers to Mae's lips.

Air stirred just in front of Maellyn's mouth, making Kalli smile. _'She's breathing. Oh thank the Phoenix, she's breathing.' _Kalli ran her fingers over the reddish looking bruise on her wife's cheek.

The Dragon stirred, wincing in pain as Kalli touched her injuries. "Kalli?" Her voice sounded small and confused as she blinked up at her with dark eyes. They were almost black in the low light, making her wife look pale and surreal. She lifted one hand, then the other, staring at the chains like she didn't know what they were.

"Mae… are you alright?"

"What did you say?"

Kalli whispered a little louder. "I asked if you were alright."

"No, not that…" the Dragon looked pained. "You… called me Mae. You've never called me that before… to my face."

Kalli blinked in surprise; her wife was so very strange. "You wake up chained to a floor and you're worried about what I'm calling you?"

The Dragon lifted one hand, studying the metal clasp around her wrist. "Can you get them off?"

"I got mine off."

Mae sat up, wincing from pain. "Did you mean it?"

The Phoenix stared at her Dragon. "Yes, I can get them off. I wasn't being sarcastic. Give me your wrist."

"No, no, no, that's not what meant, Kalli. I'm sorry… I'm so confused…" Mae pressed her hand over her eyes, the chains heavy and making the movement awkward. "You said… you said you loved me… Did you mean it?"

Kalli froze, her hairpin half into the lock opening. Her breath came in short gasps, her heart thundering in her ears. Her whole body hurt, her heart throbbed, and her head felt like it was burning from the inside out. She opened her mouth to lie, until she met the Dragon's wide black eyes. There was pleading there, something close to hope.

Her voice shook a little as she said, simply, "Yes, Mae."

There was quiet for a long moment. No one moved or spoke. The water continued to beat against the sides of the ship, rocking it gently under their bodies. Maellyn was too close, but Kalli didn't want to move away. Her breath hitched as she watched the Dragon's face. "Then why, Kalli? Why didn't you say something, do something? I… I thought that… all those other lovers you had…"

Kalli's fingers contracted, tightening her grip for a moment on Mae's wrist. "When we got married…" She looked away, ignoring the sounds of movement, the clink of chains. "You were so cold, to me… I thought… If I found someone else, you would be jealous. You would come to me… But you didn't… you… didn't want me…" It sounded silly, just saying like that. But there was nothing Kalli could do to change what she had done. This was a time for truth; the Phoenix might never get another chance to be true to her Mae.

"Kalli…" The Phoenix turned back to her, startled at the Dragon's closeness. Maellyn had sat up. She had gotten to her hands and knees, coming to eye level with Kalli. Her face was close enough that Kalli could feel the brush of her breath across her lips. The kiss was chaste, longing. The two women blinked at one another, each as startled as the other.

Mae blushed, trying to touch her lips with her fingers, but the chains kept her from it. She moved back a few inches, taking a deep breath. "I've never… kissed anyone before…" She looked embarrassed, and Kalli secretly thought it was very cute. _'Who ever would have thought anyone would call our beautiful Dragon cute?'_ "I'm sorry, Kalli; I shouldn't have… I… Unchain me, please." The Dragon held out her wrists, pleadingly.

Kalli took one of the offered hands, and used it to pull the woman back forward, almost into her lap. "I don't think I will."

"Kalli! What are you doing?" Mae tried to pull away, but even with her Dragon strength, she couldn't get enough leverage to push her wife away.

Kalli grinned, something wild in her icy-blue eyes. The Phoenix wrestled her Dragon to the ground, her hair tumbling in a platinum waterfall over the two of them. Mae looked frightened, pinned to the ground under the Phoenix. Kalli pressed close, blowing softly over the soft curves of her lips. "Do you love me, Maellyn?"

"Please, is this the time for this?"

"I'll never have another opportunity like this, Mae. You're chained to the ground, and I'm not letting you up until you look me in the eye and tell me the truth." The Dragon stopped fighting. "Do you love me?"

She stared up at me from the floor, her dark curls fanning out in a silky circle around her face. Sand dusted the darkness of her hair, shimmering in the low light. The Dragon looked like an angel, her lips slightly parted, uncertainty painting her features. "Yes, Kalli. Yes… Please let me up."

Kalli pressed a little closer, her chest against Mae's. "You mean it?"

"Yes! Kalli, please…"

The Phoenix leaned forward, pressing her lips against Mae's. She could feel the Dragon's body stiffen under hers, her breath halting. She kissed her softly, running her tongue over her bottom lip. Kalli pulled back a few inches, hesitantly, studying the stunned look in her Dragon's face.

"Dragon…" Maellyn whispered against her lips, her eyes wide and tearing.

Kalli grinned. "That was… amazing…" she breathed, pulling back and giving her Dragon some space. "Now I'll let you up."

It took only moments to free the Dragon from her restraints, even shaking as Kalli was. Her body shook with the memory of the Dragon's body, helpless under her own. Even her lips were tingling.

Mae rubbed her wrists, carefully, wincing as she found another bruise across her arm. The Dragon stood, leaning heavily on the wall at first. After taking stock of herself, she pushed away from the wall, slowly pushing her weight completely onto her feet. When she looked stable, she looked around, studying the room far more thoroughly than the Phoenix had. She ran her fingers over the walls. Kalli left her to it, still puddled on the floor. Her mind was wide and blank, no real thoughts forming under her strange new sense of euphoria; Maellyn, her wife, her Dragon, loved Kalli. She loved _her. _And Kalli loved her back.

'_She's all business when she's confused or doesn't know what to do.' _Kalli realized with a start. _'She doesn't know how to handle me. How to handle us. Perhaps that's why, at first, I thought her cold. Maybe, just maybe, I've been wrong all this time.'_

"Let me help; what are we looking for?" The Phoenix asked, staring into the gloom at the dark walls.

"A door. We need to get out of here, find someway to get home. Can you stand?" Mae turned from her work and held out her hand, her long fingernails shimmering faintly in the low light. She held out her left hand, and it had a single, silver ring around the ring finger. _'Is she wearing our wedding band?' _Kalli grasped Mae's hand with her right, embarrassed that she no longer wore their ring.

Mae didn't seem to notice.

The Dragon pulled her to her feet, and held onto her hand a little longer than was necessary, staring somewhere in the vicinity of Kalli's neck. She stood there so long, Kalli began to worry. "Mae?"

The Dragon actually jumped, started out of whatever thoughts had clouded her mind. "Sorry… I…" then she mumbled something, her fingers closing tighter around Kalli's.

"Mae, that hurts. Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine… I… Did you realize we're the same height?"

The question was so odd, the situation so strange, Kalli actually began to giggle. _'We wake up chained to the floor and fall in love. Could this get any stranger?' _"Come on, my dearest Dragon; we need to get the hell out of here. The sooner we do that, the sooner I can get out of this dress." She glared down at the torn material, realizing the line of tiny, concealed daggers were gone. _'I wonder if they found them all…' _Kalli shook Mae's hand off, running her hands over the custom-made corset, lined with tiny sheaths for her collection of knives. Whoever had kidnapped them had found most of her knives. She smiled, brilliantly when she realized she still had four, the two pairs that ran down either side of her hipbones. Kalli pulled one of them out, though she had to go in through the top of her dress.

"Kalli, what in Dragon's name are you…"

"Knife." She held one out to the Dragon like an offering. "I'm not stripping for you." She smiled, winking at her wife. "Yet."

"Can't you be more serious, Kalli?" The Dragon was blushing; Kalli could see it even in the tired light. "We've been kidnapped and you're hitting on me."

"Sorry, Mae. Really, I just…" The Phoenix was still smiling. _'She's intoxicating, somehow. I can't even pretend to focus on what's important. We need to get out of this, and I need to stop being distracted.' _Kalli took a deep breath, her fingers tightening on the knife in her palm. The handle felt cool and smooth in her palm. _'We're in danger here. I need to protect my Dragon, no matter what. We have to get out of this.' _A sudden sense of calm and purpose settled over her body, laced with a cold kind of fear.

She held out a hand to the woman in front of her, unblinking and suddenly very steady. "Let's get the hell out of here." Her wife slid her long hands across her palm, tangling her fingers in Kalli's. The Dragon actually smiled, her long black curls tumbling forward, staining the soft white of her too-big shirt. Kalli went to the wall, running the fingers of her free hand over the wood, searching, when she heard the unmistakable sound of heavy footsteps on the other side of the wall…

* * *

**Hmm... the Phoenix needs some kind of "power." Not like a Gift, persay, but some kind of power that comes from her being a Dawn. You know, like the Dragon's strength. :ponders: You think about that Inky, cause if you give your Phoenix some kind of power, I can give it to mine too. **

** Anyway, a big heaping thanks to everyone who has reveiwed. Alaria of the Dragon, Moon's Rain, and, of course, the Inkslinger.**

**Alaria: Thanks for your kind words. I know everyone gets out of it a little sometimes; I'm glad I found my way back. **

**Moon's Rain: I'm glad you're enjoying this. How far in the future is it? Umm... I have no idea. Really. Umm... Very? Enough that Ikeda and Shanza have become legend. A few centuries, I'm sure. I didn't want to give a definate time, because it's Inky's world. I don't even know if Dawns are supposed to live longer than normal people.**

**Inky: I'm evil and awful, I know. I'm sorry. Does this make it better? I updated as quick as I could. Besides, you have no room to talk. You and your loooooong update times and your little cliffs of your own. JK. I drew some pics of Kalli and hopefully I'll have one of Mae soon too. I'll post them on your board.**

**Working to get the done with. I like the feeling you get when you finish a big project. And this is a big project. **

**:mina: **


	12. The Fight

The guard lay sprawled across the wood floor. His blood coated Kalli's hands, running in rivulets down her arms. Her knife was slippery and made her grip more difficult. The guard's throat was slit, split and wide, like his mouth. Blood puddle on the floor, wide and black, the lack of light stealing away its color. Kalli stood against the wall she'd woken up against, pressing her back against the slimy wood.

Mae watched the half-parted door, unblinking into the pale light from the outside.

"Well?"

"I don't have a plan, Kalli. I have no idea what to do. We're on a _boat_ for Dragon's sake. There's really nowhere to run."

"Even if we killed everyone on board, we could never run a ship alone, even if we knew how to get home from here." Kalli wiped her knife and her hand across her skirt, leaving long, black marks across the already ruined dress.

"We'd have to take someone hostage, but for how long?" Mae pressed her face into her hand, her other dangling by her side, one of Kalli's daggers pressed against her palm. "I don't think it will work. There's nothing to do but wait."

"Wait? Wait for what?"

Shouting rang from overhead, followed by the crashing sound of cannon fire. The ship shivered under the impact. Maellyn crashed into the wall, crying out and grabbing onto her shoulder. The Dragon pushed off of the wall and made her way over to Kalli's side. One of the sleeves of her billowy shirt was torn, showing a long line of bruised skin. "I think we were waiting for that."

* * *

**Oh yeah. Umm... not much to say. Glad you're enjoying it, Inky. Yah know.**

**:mina: **


	13. Ship

The Dawns slipped out into the hall from there prison. The light in the hallway was half-blinding after the complete darkness of their room, but Kalli's eyes quickly adjusted. Her fingers were clamped over Maellyn's, sweat and strain mingling between their hands. The muddled thunder of voices and boots crashing against the ceiling above their heads was deafening. Kalli winced as the vessel shuddered, a crash of wood grinding against wood, then the sound of something heavy tumbling down the stairs.

A body lay in a crumpled pile in the hallway. His blood shimmered faintly across the tired wood of the walls. A dark, almost black puddle of blood seeped across the floor like some kind of gruesome shadow, filling the hall with the coppery scent of blood and death. The body still had a long knife protruding from his chest; the knife had caught him right through the heart. "Phoenix…" Kalli whispered. "Just what in the Phoenix's name is going on up there?"

"War." Mae whispered back, pulling her wife closer to the stairwell. The Dragon pressed her fingers to the fallen man's neck and shook her head. "He's dead." She said simply, darkly.

Kalli wondered which side he'd been fighting for.

Mae carefully stepped over the body, her booted feet settling on the floor with determined _clinks. _Kalli gathered her skirts in her free hand, pulling the fabric up around her knees to avoid the blood. _'That's silly of me. This dress is already ruined, already covered in blood.' _The Phoenix stretched her legs, making it over the body without slipping, or further ruining her skirts.

The sunlight pooled at the base of the stairs, the open sky right above them. The two Dawns stood blinded and motionless as their eyes adjusted to the morning light. Shadows danced across their eyes, people running across the space at the top of the stairs. There was a distinct sound of something large and heavy hitting the water.

The Dawns climbed the stairs, looking out across an ocean of madness. Men and woman cried out both in pain and in victory, and blood was spilling like the tide across the wooden deck. Another, far lager ship had tied itself to the railing and people poured over the connection.

Maellyn and Kalli stood apart from the majority of the chaos, Kalli still clinging to the handrail on the stair. They stood in amazement, shocked at the wild war going on around them. They didn't remain apart for long.

A large man, covered in dirt and tattoos pulled a dagger from the back of the man he'd just stabbed, turning his sights to the newly arrived Dawns. He grinned wickedly, advancing toward Mae with a deadly kind of determination. The Dragon quickly fell back into a guard position, her knees bent and her body crouched.

The Dragon made quite a small target.

The pirate advanced on her, his wicked, toothless smile sending shivers up Kalli's spine. _'He sees us as an easy kill, I suppose, being little and female like we are. Well, he's about to learn different I think…'_

Mae drove the blade into the man's chest, pushing with her whole body. The man gagged, blood dribbling down his chin. Mae caught the heavy man as he slid to the floor, unable to get out from him. A second man, this one thinner, advanced on the Dawns with twin long blades in each hand. He held them like he knew how to handle them. _'Mae will never get out from under the other man in time…' _The Phoenix started toward them, the bloody knife glimmering in her right hand. _'I have to…' _He was faster than Kalli thought possible, sliding forward to catch Mae before she could recover.

Quick as lightning, Kalli slid forward, grabbing for his right hand as she blocked the left with her own blade; she disarmed his left hand by knocking her hilt into his fingers, but his right escaped her grasp. He shouted in pain, his second knife going wild and catching Kalli's right wrist and thigh as she helped the man to the deck. Her blade hit home, driving up through his chin and spearing jaws together. Blood ran, hot and thick down the Phoenix's hand as she cried out, falling and caught under the weight of her attacker.

Mae moved to stand above her fallen Phoenix, armed with two daggers and a fatal kind of determination. Kalli stared at her wife's booted feet, her mind blank with pain. "Dragon, Kalli! Say something!" The Dragon hissed violently, guarding her wife but dying to go to her. She tried to answer, but a moan of pain killed her words.

"Dragon! Where is the Phoenix?" Kalli barely the shouting over the roar of the chaos around them, but she recognized the voice immediately.

"Shuryntus?" Kalli whispered, her voice lost to the thunderous sound of his boots on the deck. Ry's hands closed around the wound, pressing against the flow of blood.

"Mae, you need to help her; Raenel and I are here to guard now."

Look relieved, Mae dropped to her knees next to her fallen Dawn, tearing one of her sleeve off as she fell.

Ry stood like a shadow above them, his face long and stoic. He was furious, but was trying hard to remain calm. Mae, certain of both Ry and Raenel's guard, sat on her knees beside her fallen Phoenix, pressing the ripped sleeve of her shirt onto the leg wound. "You alright, Kalli?"

Kalli mumbled something, the world fuzzy and light-headed. How much blood had she lost? It was hard to think; the wounds on her body throbbing and bloody. The world shook with her as her lungs took in a long shuddering breath.

"Kalli? Stay with me."

"I'm fine."

"How in the Dragon's name did you learn to fight like that, Kalli? And to pick locks, for Dragon's sake?" Mae's face was hovering over hers, staring worriedly into the azure of her eyes. Her long, curly black hair tumbled over them both.

Kalli watched Raenel, her arms to the elbow soaked in blood, tear into the traitorous men that clogged the ship. She looked like she was having a great time. Kalli gagged as she watched the guard plunge a knife into one man's eye, then turned back to her wife, trying not to watch Raenel. "I was a thief, a runaway, before the Phoenix descended into my dreams."

Maellyn looked surprised, then smiled. "I guess…" she said slowly, "that it was a good thing you were. Else we never would have gotten out of this today." The smile spread to her eyes, shimmering like an emerald under her lashes.

Kalli loved to see her smile.

* * *

**Umm... wait, two more...**  



	14. Chaos!

Shuryntus wrapped Kalli's arm, pressing it carefully but firmly, trying to stop the bleeding. He was shocked to see that his Phoenix barely noticed the blood, or the pain. Her attention was caught in the sight of the Dragon, who had taken to personally thanking the men who had manned the rescuing ship.

"How did you find us, Ry?"

"Just lucky." Ry looked up into the sky, half-blinded by the sunlight. "That idiot Methron thought he could kidnap two Dawns and have no one notice. He also thought he could get away in this clunky wreck before anyone could catch him." The guard shook his sandy hair from his eyes, grinning wolfishly into the Phoenix's face. She was actually looking at him now, studying every detail of his face, like she'd never seen him before.

"What exactly did Lord Braliin think taking us hostage was going to accomplish anyway?" Kalli rubbed at her wrist, the tight bandage itching her skin.

"Stop scratching that, stupid bird. I'm sure it was some kind of political motive." Ry grinned, baring his teeth like some wild cat. "It wasn't a very good move, I can tell you that."

The Phoenix Dawn glanced back at Ry before returning her ice-blue gaze back to her wife. The Dragon was speaking at length to one particular sailor. "It could have been, had anyone but you been my guard, Ry. And don't tell her I said this, but Raenel was horribly helpful too. That woman's quick as a serpent, and just as lucky."

"And her bite's almost as poisonous," Ry grinned savagely at his Raenel, who stood guard over the captive Braliin. The sun made a golden glory of her waist-length dirty-blonde hair. She looked like something wild and slick, draped in leather boots up to her knees. There was a horrible kind of delight in her face as she tormented the traitor. "I'd hate to be Braliin right now."

Kalli laughed, her eyes shining with tired mirth. "As would I. Thank the Phoenix for you both." She held her injured hand up carefully. "I'm I free to go, my dearest Healer?"

Shuryntus chuckled softly. "Just be very careful with that leg of yours. Perhaps you should ask the Dragon to help you back to your chamber." His face was so utterly bland when he said it, Kalli turned to stare at him, wondering if he was being serious. "What?"

"Nothing."

"Well, the way you were staring at her, I thought you'd been looking for an excuse."

Laughter exploded from Kalli's throat, catching them both by surprise. "You're right; I have been." Before Ry could respond, the Phoenix was calling her wife over, demanding that she rest. "The captain will understand, Dragon, that you are also injured and in need of rest. Besides, I need help to my rooms."

Maellyn looked a little surprised, but held out one pale hand to her wife, pulling Kalli to her feet with an unexpected gentleness. "I apologize, Captain Zluliss, but my wife is right. We are both in dire need of rest. You will excuse me for the remainder of the night?"

The sailor smiled, bowing low. "As you wish, Dawn Dragon. Your guards and one of my boys will be stationed at the bottom of the stairs, just in case you need anything. Good evening, Phoenix, Dragon."

Mae wrapped her arm around Kalli's waist. The Phoenix leaned heavily on her wife, but only half from pain. Being that close, Kalli could smell her skin, could hear her breath. The very presence of her distracted her, her heart laboring under the closeness.

They made it down the stairs and down the short hall without incident. Maellyn set her down gently on the edge of the bed. "Oh poor Kalli," the Dragon mourned, running her fingers gently over the injured arm.

"It doesn't hurt that bad; it'll heal before we get back, I'm sure."

"You took this because of me, didn't you?"

Kalli watched as Maellyn settled on the floor in front of her. "Oh, it wasn't your fault, Mae. It was either you or me; it was my choice to push you out of the way."

"Stop acting so damned tough. You had me worried sick."

"You worried?"

Mae turned her face away, a soft blush painting her cheeks. "Of course I did!"

Kalli smiled, the glitter of it shining through her eyes. She was at a loss for words, her mind centered around the feel of Mae's fingers on her arm. _'She's beautiful. She's beautiful and she's in love with me.' _It hardly seemed real, after so many years of feeling alone…

"Mae…" She touched the fingers of her uninjured hand to her chin, lifting the Dragon's face back to hers. There were no words that could be said that hadn't; Kalli pressed in close to her, seeking out Mae's lips with hers.

The Dragon's lips were soft under her own, exciting a kind of fire that scorched through the Phoenix's veins. Running her free hand down Mae's side to her hip, Kalli massaged her skin through the roughness of her breeches. Kalli kissed her way down the smooth skin of the Dragon's neck, enticing soft moans from her Mae. _'My Mae. Yes, now she is my Mae, for real.' _

The Dragon pulled her a little too close, a little too hard, dragging gasps of pain from them both. Mae winced as she pulled away, her hand going to the long brush on her stomach. "I'm sorry, Kalli. Did I hurt you?"

"It was worth it." The Phoenix answered, winking at Mae as a thin line of cherry red ran across the Dragon's nose. Kalli giggled, mercilessly prodding the Dragon's prudishness. Mae reacted with a kind of playful, outraged embarrassment that melted the normal chilliness of her disposition. She was so easy to tease, so easy to love. Mae was beautiful.

And in that moment, life was perfect.

* * *

**One more...**


	15. The End

It took a day and a half of sailing to return to the Dawn's palace. The waves were friendly, the skies airy and bright. The trip was made mostly in quiet, only interrupted by tired arguments from the Dawns.

Kalli was lying on the ship's deck, her head in her Dragon's lap while Mae read her stories. The Dragon seemed to have found some source of endless patience for the rambunctious Phoenix. The sailors, seeing the Dawn's presence and the clear weather as a good omen, constructed a type of bench for the two, complete with an umbrella for the pale, easily burnt skin of the Dragon. The two would sit in the salt air for hours together, basking in a kind of contentment that was contagious.

"You should move into my room when we get home, Mae." Kalli whispered into a long silence between stories.

Mae sputtered, chocking on the water she had been sipping. "You think I should _what?_" The Dragon almost dumped her wife onto the deck in surprise.

"What?" The Phoenix blinked innocently up at her. "We _are_ married, and I thought…"

"You thought _what_, Kalli?" She was blushing, and trying to hide it behind the book she was holding.

She shrugged as much as she could, shifting her injured limbs carefully. "I like being close to you, Mae…" The Phoenix carefully brushed her platinum hair from her eyes, watching Maellyn with a soft smile. The Dragon's anger melted away at the look in those wide, silvery eyes. "Besides," she continued, winking, "living with you, I could help you undress..."

Maellyn actually hit her, exciting chiming laughter from the Phoenix. "Oh great good Gods, Mae, you're such a prude. I was _kidding!_"

Their guards watched from a safe distance. Raenel leaned against the wooden railing, a bemused smile painting her lips. Her blonde hair was tied into a tight braid at the back of her neck, tiny wisps of gold escaping to cloud her face. "Those two are disgustingly sweet." She laughed, softly; even she had been affected by the Dawn's newfound happiness.

Suddenly, at a thought, the contentment faded, replaced by a tired kind of worry. "What should we do, Shuryntus?"

"Nothing." The guard answered, flatly. He was idly sharpening one of his knives, his eyes focused on the two Dawns. "I think, for a while, things need to stay as they are. The Dragon and the Phoenix need us as guards." He slipped the shining blade back into its sheath at his side. "I think they're ruling the world just fine on their own." He grinned, barring his teeth like a lion.

"As you say, my love." Raenel twisted her body around his with serpentine, slithering kind of grace, watching the two Dawns argue with yellow-tinged eyes.

..:THE END:..

* * *

**And there you have it. I'd like to thank Inky, for the inspiration and letting me write this. I'd like to thank everyone who reveiwed and those who will read and review in the future. Hehe, I'd like to also thank Mae, for being so cute. And Kalli for being... well, Kalli.**

**I worked really hard to get the rest of this story finished before I posted anymore. So three chapters up at once. I hoping this will inspire Inky to write out a kind of timeline for the Dawns, so I can write about another set of Dawns either before or after Shanza and Ikeda. It'd be like a history lesson! I wanna write a fic about the very first Dawns. Ohhh! That's a good idea :gets to work: Hmm, I'm going to have to confir with Inky a little on this one.**

**Let's see... anything else? Oh yeah, this story was written kind of willy nilly. If you see any big mistakes, like me changing someone's hair color in the middle of the story, or someone suddenly gets taller, or there's some kind of massively wrong description somewhere, please e-mail me; the addy's in my profile.**

**As always, thanks for reading. I'll get started on the new fic. Someday. But right now I'm writing this crazy vamp story, inspired by none other than _Hellsing _(cause Alucard is HOT man. I want him as a master. :is jealous of Celas: Oh well, I have a feeling I'll be writing tons of fics before my _Baton Kaitos_ and _FF7 _phases go away. I've been playing _Baton Kaitos_ for the whole week, and I've been trying to DL _FF7: Adment Children _stuff for days. Tell me if anyone finds anything, okay? Thanks. Much Luvs!  
**

**:mina: **


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